FM 12: Udinese Calcio- Dance like Boetang through the gates of paradise!

[Robert the Spud]

Welcome to the official Udinese Calcio Football Manager 12 thread!

Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa. 115 years old, and still looking fresh

The traditional team home kit is black and white striped shirt, black shorts, and white socks. The club plays in the Stadio Friuli, which has a capacity of 41,652 (although it is currently limited to 30,900). It has a large number of fans in Friuli and surrounding areas. More info can be found at their official website; http://www.udinese.it/ENG/index2.php or through their Wikipedia link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udinese_Calcio

Giampaulo Pozzo....25 years and counting. Also has investments in La Liga outfit Granada, an affiliate of ours.

The Stadio Friuli is located in Rizzi, 4 km from the city centre of Udine. Opened in 1976, as a replacement for Stadio Moretti, Friuli has a maximum capacity of 41,652 seats, partly covered, currently limited to a capacity 30,900. It, like most of Italian stadia, is owned by the local council, the municipality of Udine. The stadium also features facilities for fencing, gymnastics, martial arts and athletics, including an indoor gym, located in the grandstand.

[Robert the Spud]

Talisman. Icon. Legend.....Dreamboat.

Unfortunately, it seems not all the Sanchez, Zapata and Inler fees were reinvested back into the 1st team, and we start with a modest of budget of 4-6 million euros, depending on where your season expectations lie.

This means, if we are to emulate Udi’s real life success this term, we have to be very shrewd in the transfer market or carry on with what we’ve got until January and hope for more funds. Alternatively, you can adhere to Udinese’s highly successful transfer policy of buying cheap young talent from 2nd tier nations(such as Africa or S.America) and developing them into saleable assets for profit.

[Robert the Spud]

Meet the squad!

N.B; what has stood out to me most was the sheer size of it. This means great cover in most positions. However, be warned that your African players are likely to be gone in January for anything up to 6 weeks. Finding adequate cover for Kwando, for example, could be a defining decision in our season. Obviously there is a huge South American contingent and a liberal dose of Eastern Europeans. The Ities might feel a tad overwhelmed! Warning; the squad is huge, and this may take a while….

Goalkeepers;

Samir Handanovic 26yrs/Slovenian- Samir should undoubtedly be your no.1 this season and beyond. Perhaps lacking world class command, and yet at 26 still has time to improve into a genuine world class keeper.

Rafael Romo, 21/Venezuelan- The young South American could, with patience and skill, be developed into a decent goalie. He may not be experienced or reliable enough for the no.2 spot however

Manu Belardi, 33/Italian- Experienced but distinctly average goalkeeper. Makes a decent back up, but may not warrant a contract renewal at the end of season.

Zeljko Brkic, 25/Serbian- On loan at Siena, and should definitely be bought back at the end of season to vie with his Samir for the no.1 spot. What he lacks in agility and reflexes he makes up for with a supreme command of the area.

Defenders;

Danilo, 27/Brazil SW,DC- A very decent option, whether you play 2 or 3 centre backs. Composed, concentrated, positionally aware, and decent tackler and marker. Has a strong aggression too.

Damiao Ferronetti, 26/Italian DRC- Another very decent defender. He lacks a physical aspect to his game, but is a good reader of the game, a team player, aggressive, can head and is also a good marker.

Mehdi Benatia, 24/Morocco DRC- This tall, young Moroccan should definitely be considered 1st team material. An excellent marker of opposition players, Benatia has vision, bravery and determination, and is strong enough to play in the centre of either a two or three man defence.

Maurizio Domizzi, 31/Italian DLC- Highly competent and seasoned centre back. Excellent tackler, and though age is not on his side, his experience is valuable. Could be a 1st teamer.

Neuto, 21/Brazil DLC- Potentially huge. Determined and brave, this young Brazilian could be nurtured into a top class centre back. Either trust him to play or loan out- Do not leave on the bench.

Dusan Basta , 26/Serbian D/WBR- Ah, how I love the option to play 3 at the back, and the dynamic Serb gives us a opportunity to do just that. Pace, stamina, work rate, bravery, a decent dribbler and equally decent crosser of the ball make him a potent force going forward and giving our team some much needed width. Surprisingly creative too! Be warned, however. He is a defensive liability and should not be trusted as a full back.

Mauricio Isla, 23/Chile D/WBR, DM, MC- This versatile Chilean is obviously going to challenge Besta for that wing back role, should you utilise such tactics. A far better defender than Besta, but not an equal crosser of the ball. But for his poor strength, I would play him as a ball winner, and but for his poor positional play, I would use him as an anchorman. One feels he could make an excellent box to box player though, and we can make use of his proficient dribbling skills and almost unlimited stamina this way. Still a decent shout for the WB role however.

Pablo Armero , 24/Colombia D/WBL- Bloody fast, bloody good dribbler, decent enough crosser and can run all day. These skills must be used to good effect. His marking and positional play perhaps make him suspect defensively. All the more reason to use wing back’s eh?

Giovanni Pasquale, 29/Italian D/WB/ML- Yet another brilliant squad player. Has decent pace, works hard for the team and is a slightly better crosser than Armero, yet not sufficiently so to displace the Colombian.

Juan Cuadrado, 23/Colombian D/WB/M/AMR- Slightly frustrating that he’s on loan at Lecce. Abundance of pace and dribbler meant he could have played a part, but probably not good enough long term to be anything more than an impact sub.

Midfielders;

Abdou Sissoko, 21/France DM/MLC- At 21 he’s not likely to develop into too much of a player. Not much to say, apart from he’s surplus to requirements.

Piermario Morosini, 25/Italian DM/MC- Good worker and team player, but nothing much to compliment this with. Get rid.

Manu Badu, 20/Ghana DM/MC- We’ve got a potential high calibre ball winner here. Nurture him, tutor him, love him long time. He will win you balls. Lot’s of balls.

Cristian Battocchio, 19/Argentina DM/MC- Oh looky here, another bloody DM/MC. This time with a difference though, the little Argy nipper is a creative playmaker type. Weaker than a 2 week old puppy, but he could be good. He could be bloody good. This, like all things, depends on how throw the dice however.

Thierry Doubai, 23/Ivory Coast DM/MC- I do hope some of these African will stick around in January, but that’s life. The young Ivorian is an average player, blessed with stamina and a very nice pass. Apart from that, it’s difficult to discern what else to do with him. The African Jermaine Jenas, if you will. Except for the passing bit.

Gaetino D’Agostino, 29/Italian DM/M/AMC- Well, this is frustrating. Inexplicably sent on loan to Siena for the season, the cultured Sicilian could have been a major player for Udi this season. Team work, creativity and lovely passing skills in equal measure would’ve made us a playmaker of efficacy. Not to be.

Kwando Asamoah, 22/Ghana DM/M/AMC- Ah, here he is. Affectionately referred to as ‘The Black Machine’ by his appreciative Friulians, this is our box to box dynamo and key player. Nuff’ said.

Gabriel Torje, 21/Romanian M/AMR- Word on the street is that his potential is huge. Though his stats, correlated with his age, may not suggest this is strictly true, he has enough determination to make his mark. God knows where he will play though, and play he must if he’s to develop any further.

Roberto Pererya, 20/Argentina M/AMRLC- Roberto is still young enough to be with the u’20 squad, but in my opinion has the potential to be a major player. Pace, technique and dribbling, but perhaps lacking the mentality to make him a great? Send him on loan if you can’t find space for him, and the very least get him tutored.

Antonio Candreva, 24/Italian M/AMC- Another playmaker on loan, this time at Cesena. Had enough technique and creative ability to be thoroughly decent young squad player. Pozzo, Pozzo, y u no like Itie playmaker?

Almen Abdi, 24/Switzerland M/AMC- Much of a muchness. In his defence, he’s very good creatively, is a good passer and has the complimentary 1st touch. Also, he works hard for the team, which is nice of him. Still, he’s no Gokhan Inler.

Giampiero Pinzi, 30/Italian M/AMC- Pinzi’s skills fall far more in the defensive realm than offensive. He’s a damn good tackler, has damn good stamina, and has damn good mental capabilities. Nice squaddie to have around.

Forwards;

Diego Fabbrini, 20/Italian AMRLC/ST- Fab’s is a player I could really get to know. His ‘striker’ tag is far too generous, but one may be able to do something with him a bit deeper on the pitch, or in wider positions perhaps. Lacks the creativity to be a playmaker, but has decent pace, works hard for the team and has nice passing and first touch.

Barreto, 26/Brazilian AMRLC/ST- This diminutive Brazilian is most definitely a good shout for the poacher or Advanced forward role, possibly even an inside forward type. He lacks any semblance of strength, but is fast, has good technique, can finish, and most importantly has the determination to get into good positions or chase the ball down.

Antonio Floro Flores, 28/Italian ST- Not a world away from Barreto, apart from more height and a far superior header of the ball. He lacks determination, but can finish. His creativity and passing means that he can drop deep and link play up. However, his stamina is paltry and so is most likely a substitute.

Miguel Medina, 18/Paraguay ST- We may, may, if you play your cards right, have a world class striker on our hands. He’s tall, reasonably quick, has first touch and a finish. What more is there? I would say get Di Natale to tutor him, but Medina does not speak Italian yet. Although he is reason enough to sling Floro Flores, I would abstain from this notion for a season, and perhaps send him on loan, either to a Spanish club, or one with a strong Spanish speaking contingent in Italy.

Antonio Di Natale, 33/Italian AML/ST- Talisman, Leader, Icon, Legend. Versatile, well balanced in mentality and technique and utterly, utterly dreamy. 57 goals in his last two seasons(and 15 this season in real life) mean that he’s not just a playmaker but one of the best finishers in the league to boot. Though born in Naples, Di Natale is to Udinese what Totti is to Roma and Del Piero is to Juve. One slight problem- he’s in the last stretch of his career. His legs have all but gone, which means you will have to look after him. Keep him fit! It’s to our benefit that we have a strong, athletic squad, but he really could do with a powerful striker next to him. Can go for another two seasons in my opinion.

[Robert the Spud]

Areas to strengthen?

Despite the huge numbers we have on our books, there are many areas we can strengthen in Udinese’s squad. In my opinion, who you want to bring in obviously depends on how you want to play. For myself, I see fast, powerful, hard working finisher as a matter of priority. After that, a young creative playmaker in the Modric mould(perhaps Christian Eriksen) and a long term replacement for Di Natale. I would suggest the young lad Jensenn from Tromso. May aswell pick up his midfield counterpart Kara while you're there. Then we will have 'The Black Machine and The Black Beast' dominating anyone who dares to play us. Width is an issue within our squad. However, we have proficient attacking WB’s to make up for a lack of attacking width, and like me you may favour narrow formations anyway, as is traditional in Italy. If you want to go the loan route, then Giovanni Dos Santos, a real life Udinese target, would be most welcome. He can provide width, pace and penetration in the final third- Just don’t expect him to track back. As I wrote earlier, a strong, fast forward who can hold the ball up is also a matter of priority, because Baretto and Floro Flores will simply be muscled off the ball playing up top on their own. You will certainly lack physical presence in the final third without such a player. On our modest budget, it may not be possible, but if you find a way of bringing in transfer funds then perhaps a Papiss-Cisse will be a manageable acquisition.

Tic-tacs

In Rome, do as the Romans do. So ok, we’re in Udine, but the same principle applies. I love narrow formations, and Italy is renowned for such a tactic. However, with our WB’s, we can choose to go with an adventurous 3-2-3-2, complete with a sweeper, 2 WB’s, 3 CM’s to provide solidity in the middle, and then Di Natale floating off of our Target man. Otherwise, I would imagine a 4-3-1-2 Trequarista would be highly effective. It’s important to use our players to their strengths. Kwando is a quintessential box to box player, and in my opinion should not be wasted as a simple DM or ball winner even, unless we’re facing tougher opposition. We need him surging forward. Di Natale is in the twighlight of his career and will have to be used accordingly. His stamina and strength are low, so do not play him in central midfield. He may come up against some very tough DM’s in this league, but his intelligence should be enough to evade them. This is why he should be given freedom to roam, without the burden of pressing. Also, we would be wise to make use of his exceptional goalscoring ability, and therefore could play him in a more advanced role. Or just let him rock n' roll as a Trequarista! With that in mind, this is how you might line-up;

The choice, of course, is yours, so do as you see fit. These are merely options.

[Robert the Spud]

Why Udinese? The Mission

Udinese have been nothing short of a phenomenon this season, in that they have sold three major players, replaced them with cheaper talent, and yet find themselves in the full throttle of a Serie A title charge alongside the resurgent Juve and Milan. While it’s unlikely the squad will be able to keep pace in the second half of the season, a Champions League place is well within reason. Udinese are similar to Napoli in 2010, a club with exceptional potential who have been making serious waves in the league for the past two seasons. Though we may lack a Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi, Udinese Calcio is a club with potential to break the Milan monopoly on Serie A. Competition is fierce however, and there are five or six clubs- Milan, Inter, Juve, Roma, Napoli and Lazio- who are capable of winning the league, let alone gaining Champions League admittance, or 'Through the gates of paradise'. This is your chance to put Udinese on the map, turning them from the nearly club of Italian football to a full-blown powerhouse.

Transfer policy

It has in many ways been Udinese’s transfer policy that is the most outstanding element of their success. They notoriously buy young, cheap players from '2nd tier countries', pay them low wages, develop them and then sell for profit. It’s this policy that actually has been the propeller of their success. Udinese, among other second to mid-tier clubs in Serie A, are up against the biased popularity of the Elite. This means that they do not receive anywhere near the same level of sponsorship deals or T.V rights. Coupled with a relatively small(to be made yet smaller!) stadium, Udinese would appear to be quite the anomaly of Italian football. Getting to the Champions League was achievement enough, but to sell three key players, and then return the following season as title contenders takes some doing. If you choose to go down this route, as I will, then you will be guaranteed a major management challenge. Can you develop youth, sell it for profit and still challenge for major honours? One word of advice, try and get good affiliate clubs in countries that speak the language of your young signings. Spanish speaking affiliates will be vital for you when loaning out your young S.American starlets. Africa, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe also have a wealth of young talent to pillage aswell. Setting up an intricate and organised scouting network is one of your main objectives here. Otherwise, you may decide to build an Italian base, which is another good idea. You could also buy a team full of mega-stars, but this would be extremely difficult due to old Pozzo being quite tight with the budget. He sold 60m euro worth of talent last summer, and re-invested a mere third of it.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck. Dance with me like Boetang through the gates of paradise. Forza Udinese!

[Robert the Spud]

Current Udinese managers

Robert the Spud

cichy86

deejay10(I think?)

dj clark boy

Luke4

Gunger(again, i'm presuming?)

Alright lads, here's the roll call

Maybe i'll post our achievements and progress as and when you post.

[Falahk]

you got the nationalitys on the keepers mixed up a bit, Handanovic aint Serbian, so well, you cant really call Zeljko Brkic his fellow countryman

[Gungner]

Excellent opening post. It actually gave me the will to start with Udinese

And yeah, Handanovic is Slovenian, not Serbian

[Robert the Spud]

you got the nationalitys on the keepers mixed up a bit, Handanovic aint Serbian, so well, you cant really call Zeljko Brkic his fellow countryman

Corrected. Thanks for the head's up, I just mis-read. That part of the world is....complex

Excellent opening post. It actually gave me the will to start with Udinese

And yeah, Handanovic is Slovenian, not Serbian

Cool man, keep us updated when and where you can. It might take me a little bit of time to get into it due to life-stuff, but obviously I will be updating. Also let us know what tactics your using etc....

Just realised i forgot to do a staff ananlysis, but i think people are intelligent enough to discern for themselves

[Robert the Spud]

As it turns out, D'Agostino is co-owned by Siena. Though they have him for this season, it's not a loan. Still, quite annoying really.

[Barkers]

did a few seasons as udine earlier in the year.

get torje in the 1st team as soon as playing on the right. the guy is amazing.

there is a really goood core, handanovic probably the best shot stopper in the league, benatia is awsome in this version of fm, isla, asamoah and then toto for a couple of seasons is a great starting point on which to build.

candreva when he comes back in season 2 is a good player and the nigerian fell out on loan at granada.

[niletaylor]

udinese are a great feeder team, they invest in south american youth and it pays off.

[Robert the Spud]

did a few seasons as udine earlier in the year.

get torje in the 1st team as soon as playing on the right. the guy is amazing.

there is a really goood core, handanovic probably the best shot stopper in the league, benatia is awsome in this version of fm, isla, asamoah and then toto for a couple of seasons is a great starting point on which to build.

candreva when he comes back in season 2 is a good player and the nigerian fell out on loan at granada.

Indeed, my staff tell me he's got amazing potential. My problem is where to play him because i'm not using winger's.

[Vipertitan]

going to start a save with theses tonight will post my update when game is in January

[Robert the Spud]

going to start a save with theses tonight will post my update when game is in January

Nice one mate, keep us up to speed with how you're doing, and formations especially. Am interested to know how people are playing

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Very nice OP, Robert What about Mauricio Isla?

[Robert the Spud]

Llew, it depends of opposition really. Basta is the better crosser, and Isla the better defender, but his crossing is significantly worse. With my 5-3-2 system, I need the width and balls into the box because I figure most teams in Serie A will play 3 in the middle, and it'll be a) Hard to play through the middle all the time and b) Good to expose their lack of cover on the wings.

Between Basta and Isla, trust me, it's a tough decision. Most other's pick themselves.

[Robert the Spud]

Fancy a Udinese save Llew?

I'm going to alternate between Udinese and Gladbach, until the last update and then i'll do my Spurs one, and go back to these when time permits!

[Vipertitan]

Nice one mate, keep us up to speed with how you're doing, and formations especially. Am interested to know how people are playing

will do playing a 4 4 1 1

this Formation and will be my starting Xi i made no Transfers as had no cash to spend so im going to try get the cash sorted.

[Vipertitan]

oh my god this Champions League Qualifier looks like i not be going threw.

[Robert the Spud]

Wowsers. There are some really tough teams in this years qualifiers. Villareal too!! £65k....that is ridiculous. Good luck though

[Vipertitan]

yeah too good haha just hope get threw might play all out defence style try hit them on counter

[Robert the Spud]

yeah too good haha just hope get threw might play all out defence style try hit them on counter

I dunno, could surprise them an play attacking. They are so good they could just find a way through even the tightest defense. But counter defo sounds like a good idea here.

[Vipertitan]

I dunno, could surprise them an play attacking. They are so good they could just find a way through even the tightest defense. But counter defo sounds like a good idea here.

yeah might try different style not sure

[SRL88]

Nice work Robert .

[Vipertitan]

This was my Starting Xi for first leg we managed to win 1-0 thanks to aAlmen Abdi in the 37th minute. hope can keep lead in the second leg.

[Robert the Spud]

Nice work Robert .

Cheers mate

This was my Starting Xi for first leg we managed to win 1-0 thanks to aAlmen Abdi in the 37th minute. hope can keep lead in the second leg.

Well done, that's a very good result to go to Germany with. Hopefully nick a sneaky goal and send them into the Europa League

[cichy86]

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Currently Squad!!!

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[cichy86]

very sad day in my career first leg 1-1 second 2-3 om

95 minutes :O:O:O penalty !!! WRRRR

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[Vipertitan]

Cheers mate

Well done, that's a very good result to go to Germany with. Hopefully nick a sneaky goal and send them into the Europa League

just had system update on my laptop and have to play first leg again dam it:@(

unlucky cichy86

[Robert the Spud]

Welcome cichy. Nainggolan is definitely on my purchase list. Unlucky on the penalty....the worst feeling that late in the game

[Vipertitan]

after my laptop decided to crash just played my first leg again. This was my 2-1 for first leg we managed to loose

[Luke4]

Just lost to Olympic Lyon 2-1 in the CL playoff, sucks to go out so early. Spud, how are you setting up your 3-5-2? This is my setup, trying for a somewhat real-life setup but its average at best so far.

[Vipertitan]

just done second leg 2-0 on the night and 3-2 witch i was well pleased with the score and going threw

[Vipertitan]

just been giving my group for the champions League Group C looks like i not be going threw ha

[heathxxx]

The great thing about Udinese is that they're from a small city and compared to what are considered the "big" clubs in Italy, they're still considered "small".

Whilst they have a relatively small fan base for a top flight team, plus unable to compete financially or attract the bigger sponsorship deals, they've excelled at unearthing talent and wheeler-dealing on the transfer market. Involvement in "projects" in other countries is also starting to pay dividends. The deal with Granada CF in Spain being a prime example. (Just one correction to the OP - Pozzo isn't "owner" of Granada CF, but he has been a vital "investor" )

Their deal with Granada has been a resounding success. They've already seen a profit from their initial investment to clear the Spanish club's debts. Two or three players loaned to Granada have since been sold at a profit and has covered that initial investment. By sending many players to Granada, they've also helped propel their affiliate to the Spanish top-flight, following two consecutive promotions. This offers both Udinese and Granada tremendous benefits. The main benefits for Udinese being:

- Loaning "investment" signings and talented young players to Granada. Players playing at a high level to either attract attention for future sale, or to aid development.

- Helpful when signing South American players, who gain Spanish/EU citizenship within two years when loaned to Granada.

- Granada are now playing in one of the most high profile leagues in Europe, which should help facilitate loan moves more easily for young players you want to develop.

So, don't forget your feeder clubs and keep them supplied with loan signings. They will benefit your club in numerous ways.

One player I would recommend keeping, who starts on loan at Granada, is Odion Ighalo. Lots of potential and excellent as a central striker, or inside forward.

[Robert the Spud]

Just lost to Olympic Lyon 2-1 in the CL playoff, sucks to go out so early. Spud, how are you setting up your 3-5-2? This is my setup, trying for a somewhat real-life setup but its average at best so far.

Quite. I am not convinced any formation with 3 defenders and wing backs will work on FM, which is a shame. FM11 had these problems, so we could not emulate Napoli either. Lyon are a top side though, so no shame in that. My set up is exactly like that shown in the tactics section of this thread.

just been giving my group for the champions League Group C looks like i not be going threw ha

I'd say you have a 50/50 chance of getting that 2nd spot, perhaps greater. Definitely doable, atleast you didn't have Barca and Milan.

The great thing about Udinese is that they're from a small city and compared to what are considered the "big" clubs in Italy, they're still considered "small".

Whilst they have a relatively small fan base for a top flight team, plus unable to compete financially or attract the bigger sponsorship deals, they've excelled at unearthing talent and wheeler-dealing on the transfer market. Involvement in "projects" in other countries is also starting to pay dividends. The deal with Granada CF in Spain being a prime example. (Just one correction to the OP - Pozzo isn't "owner" of Granada CF, but he has been a vital "investor" )

Their deal with Granada has been a resounding success. They've already seen a profit from their initial investment to clear the Spanish club's debts. Two or three players loaned to Granada have since been sold at a profit and has covered that initial investment. By sending many players to Granada, they've also helped propel their affiliate to the Spanish top-flight, following two consecutive promotions. This offers both Udinese and Granada tremendous benefits. The main benefits for Udinese being:

- Loaning "investment" signings and talented young players to Granada. Players playing at a high level to either attract attention for future sale, or to aid development.

- Helpful when signing South American players, who gain Spanish/EU citizenship within two years when loaned to Granada.

- Granada are now playing in one of the most high profile leagues in Europe, which should help facilitate loan moves more easily for young players you want to develop.

So, don't forget your feeder clubs and keep them supplied with loan signings. They will benefit your club in numerous ways.

One player I would recommend keeping, who starts on loan at Granada, is Odion Ighalo. Lots of potential and excellent as a central striker, or inside forward.

Thanks, great info there and very pertinent reminder! I've made amendments to the Pozzo/Granada links too

Ighalo just scored the winner against me in our annual friendly, sublime header

[Vipertitan]

yeah just glad i never got them to in my group like

[deejay10]

Was definitely planning an Udinese save after my Swansea run, Gladbach just got in the way first. Was planning to play variations of 3-5-2 and 4-3-1-2 as well, with maybe the 3-5-1-1 they play in real life thrown in as well, with Torje retrained to play AMC.

[cichy86]

Troje -> AMR !

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[Barkers]

Why Udinese? The Mission

Transfer policy

It has in many ways been Udinese’s transfer policy that is the most outstanding element of their success. They notoriously buy young, cheap players from '2nd tier countries', pay them low wages, develop them and then sell for profit. It’s this policy that actually has been the propeller of their success. Udinese, among other second to mid-tier clubs in Serie A, are up against the biased popularity of the Elite. This means that they do not receive anywhere near the same level of sponsorship deals or T.V rights. Coupled with a relatively small(to be made yet smaller!) stadium, Udinese would appear to be quite the anomaly of Italian football. Getting to the Champions League was achievement enough, but to sell three key players, and then return the following season as title contenders takes some doing. If you choose to go down this route, as I will, then you will be guaranteed a major management challenge. Can you develop youth, sell it for profit and still challenge for major honours? One word of advice, try and get good affiliate clubs in countries that speak the language of your young signings. Spanish speaking affiliates will be vital for you when loaning out your young S.American starlets. Africa, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe also have a wealth of young talent to pillage aswell. Setting up an intricate and organised scouting network is one of your main objectives here. Otherwise, you may decide to build an Italian base, which is another good idea. You could also buy a team full of mega-stars, but this would be extremely difficult due to old Pozzo being quite tight with the budget. He sold 60m euro worth of talent last summer, and re-invested a mere third of it.

the trouble with that is im sure there is an itallian rule of clubs only being able to sign one overseas player from outside of the EU per season isnt there? or was that just last season?

buying youngsters then from south america and africa etc is going to be a nightmare as you can get only one per season...

irl they seem to be allowed to sign the players and loan them stright out but in the game it doesnt work like that if i remember correctly.

not got the game at hand atm. can someone clarify this?

[Robert the Spud]

the trouble with that is im sure there is an itallian rule of clubs only being able to sign one overseas player from outside of the EU per season isnt there? or was that just last season?

buying youngsters then from south america and africa etc is going to be a nightmare as you can get only one per season...

irl they seem to be allowed to sign the players and loan them stright out but in the game it doesnt work like that if i remember correctly.

not got the game at hand atm. can someone clarify this?

They are allowed 2 player from non-eu now, but is that not just in the 1st team sqaud? I have to check. In real life, yes, they loan them out for a variety of reasons, citizenship among them, but in the game you cannot just loan them out straight away(i think). However, we are affiliated with Granada, so send 'em there, or other European countries that speak the language of the player(Africa might be a bit difficult with this). Get more affiliates. Tromso would be a good one if possible.

[Luis Suarez 7]

Great thread mate , In my Sampdoria save Udinese signed Gylfi Sigurðsson for 6M , Three seasons later he was sold to Bayern Munich for 28M worth keeping a eye on him if you can get him for around 6 - 10M well worth it and will work well into the second system you have as a Trequarista , Will start up a Udinese save now and will up date here only problem with Serie A is you can only sign two players that are NON EU every season

[Robert the Spud]

Cheers, and welcome Suarez!

Yeah, the non-eu thing is strange, and am looking into it a bit more because otherwise how do Udinese do it? I'm sure they sign more than 2 non-eu's per season. Confusing indeed.

finding time to get into my save is proving a little tricky, but i shall prevail!! Not even started pre-season matches yet :o

[Luis Suarez 7]

Haven't started pre season either , Trying to ship some players out the squad is huge , Bought Andre Jali in for €700k beat off a couple of teams to get him in

[Luke4]

Started a new save as I couldn't get a 3-5-2 working to save my life, and all my transfers revolved around that formation. Switched to a 3-4-2-1 and its been way better so far. The inter-play between the AMC's and the Treq. really allow the wingbacks to make there way up the field and there are a lot more variety to the attack. Lost to Olympic Lyon again but this time it ended 5-4 and two of the goals were a result of Neuton not being able to out jump anybody on corners, might be a while till he gets a game again.

[heathxxx]

Cheers, and welcome Suarez!

Yeah, the non-eu thing is strange, and am looking into it a bit more because otherwise how do Udinese do it? I'm sure they sign more than 2 non-eu's per season. Confusing indeed.

finding time to get into my save is proving a little tricky, but i shall prevail!! Not even started pre-season matches yet :o

One way around the non-EU limit for signings each season Udinese take advantage of, is sending their foreign signings out to their feeder clubs.

Real-life example this week... Udinese paid Brazilian club Palmeiras €4m for promising 20 year old left-back Gabriel Silva. He's been sent straight to Granada, where he'll apparently stay until 2016. Whilst on the one hand this could be seen as a further "investment" in the progress of Granada CF, it's a loan deal for that period, which means that Udinese own his contract and will be able to call him back any time they want to. If they keep him at Granada for two years though, he'll be eligible for Spanish/EU citizenship, thus getting around any "foreign" player restrictions.

How well FM replicates such things, I can't say. Best way would be once you've signed your one "foreign" player under the Italian restrictions per season, try to sign another and see if it gives you the option to send them directly to an overseas feeder club. If the system is set up in a similar way to players who fail to get a work permit for a move to an English club (who have overseas feeder clubs), you may get the option to proceed with the signing and send them to one of the feeders.

If anyone finds that to be the case, might be worth confirming it in this thread.

[dustygator]

I had great success with a 3-5-2 in FM11. 3 DC's, 2 WB's, 2CM's (box-to-box on the left, ball winner support on right), AM, and 2 ST's (Trequartista and Advanced Forward). Had an insane defensive record the 2nd season (set the record for consecutive clean sheets and games without loss) and won the league. Remember buying Jadson, Salvatore Bochetti and Guillermo Burdisso all of whom played well.

[Vipertitan]

just done the group stages to our surprise i qualified for next round and i have j Villarreal ( in the knock out first round should be a easy win hopefully

[Robert the Spud]

One way around the non-EU limit for signings each season Udinese take advantage of, is sending their foreign signings out to their feeder clubs.

<snip>

If anyone finds that to be the case, might be worth confirming it in this thread.

Cheers Heath- Can anyone who has the transfer window on validate this?

I had great success with a 3-5-2 in FM11. 3 DC's, 2 WB's, 2CM's (box-to-box on the left, ball winner support on right), AM, and 2 ST's (Trequartista and Advanced Forward). Had an insane defensive record the 2nd season (set the record for consecutive clean sheets and games without loss) and won the league. Remember buying Jadson, Salvatore Bochetti and Guillermo Burdisso all of whom played well.

Hmm, like this?

just done the group stages to our surprise i qualified for next round and i have j Villarreal ( in the knock out first round should be a easy win hopefully

Ha, well done clarky boy. Villa there for the taking!